Hero WOD “DT”

“In honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.” – crossfit.com

What is good time for hero WOD DT?

Accroding to our appgood time to beat in DT is 8 minutes with good time cap of 13 minutes. DT is pretty hard workout for me because my bodyweight is only 165 lbs and RX DT is with 155 lbs, I was able to finish DT in 7:45 and PRed it by 40 seconds since last time.

3 Tips To Get Best DT Time & BONUS

I have done RXd DT twice (in 7:45 and 8:25) and ‘heavy’ DT with 205 lbs from CrossFit Games once (in 22:15). DT is pretty challenging WOD but you can make it easier if you choose correct strategy!

#1 Choose correct rep scheme

Choosing correct rep scheme for DT can make you even few minutes faster. All 3 movements will tax your lower back muscles and it’s great idea to be smart with rep scheme unless you are not super strong with huge engine.

It’s very smart to always leave last rep on deadlifts and hang power cleans for the next set because you will have to do it anyway.

For most of people doing all movements in DT in 2 sets + 1 rep will lead to their best time, I would go for 1 set + 1 rep only if I am “almost regional level athlete” or I am very strong. And I will leave 1 unbroken round only for some certain Games athletes and even some of them will have problems to do all 5 rounds unbroken faster than if they split up the reps.

1 Unbroken Set

#2 Use belt

I don’t use belt in my training but DT is the only exception where I used it and it was worth!

DT is WOD that is heavily focused on your lower back, it will get more fatigued even on jerks and there is no movement where you can rest your lower back muscles.

If your DT time is slow it is usually because your lower back hurts and you just can’t get back to the bar. Using belt from beginning of the WOD will help you to avoid that situation.

So even if you are not fan of the belt in the workouts try to consider using belt only in this workout and I bet your time will be at least 20 seconds faster.

#3 Same rest between all sets all the time

As I said DT is taxing mainly lower back muscle and you will have a lot of energy in the first round, make sure to spend it wisely. Everyone can do 1 rounds of DT under 1:00 but not everyone can finish all 5 rounds under 8:00.

If you will be quick in first one or two rounds it will hit you back with highly elevated hearth rate and fatigued lower back and your body would have difficulties to recover between sets.

Much better approach is to take same long (probably 3-6 sec) rests from the first round. Consider doing such rest even after first 6 deadlifts and 5 deadlifts, I know you have energy to do all 12 deadlifts unbroken in 1st round but don’t do it, you will get faster time if you take the rests.

BONUS: Finish your first DT under 10 minutes

Let’s consider you are already strong enough and you can probably do 1 rounds of DT unbroken if you are fresh and if it isn’t in the WOD. If you got that requirements I bet you can do DT under 10 minutes!

How?

First thing is to select correct rep scheme. Go for “2 sets + 1 rep” as seen above.

Stick to your rest times. I would consider doing about +6 seconds break after each set, you don’t need to look to stopwatch, measure your rest by breaths (+5 breaths per rest).

Stick to the plan and your goal and do DT as E2MOM, 1 round every 2 minutes since beginning. Slow down in first two rounds and don’t hurry, make sure to finish that rounds no faster than 1:40, it will pay off in later rounds.

Go nuts in the last round! You are probably starting last round somewhere between 7:30 – 8:00, now it’s time to step up the game! I would still recommend you to go for 2+1 rep scheme but it’s time to lower your rest times, you now have only about 1:00-1:30 of work ahead of you, don’t think about how it hurts just finish it!

Good job! With this strategy you have probably done DT under 10:00, for some of you your times will be even under 9:00 if stick to this plan!